Art of distilling oils



Dec. 28 1926. 1,612,289

F. A. HOWARD ART OF DISTILLING OILS Fil ed Feb. 14,1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 28,1926. 1,612,289

- .F.. A. HOWARD ART OF DiSTILLING OILS Filed Feb. 14, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented D ec. 28, 1926.

UNITED STATES 1 ,612,289 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK ATHERTON HOWARD, OE ELIZABETH NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR '].0 STANDARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, A CORPOR ATION OF DELAWARE.

7 ART or nrsrrrlr me OILS.

Application filed February 14, 1921, Serial No. 444,632.

The present invention relates to the dislight hydrocarbon oils such as gasoline is, carried out in the usual manner, for .ex-,' I

ample,'at a pressure of em 7 atmospheres, the condensation of the light oils produced being efiected under the samepressure prevailing in the still. The natural gas, from which the gasoline constituents are'to be removed and recovered, is introduced. into the vapor space of the still. or the vapor. apparatus connected thereto, and passes through the vapor apparatus and the con:-

denser under the pressure prevailing therein. The gasoline constituents of the natural'gas" are condensed or absorbed in the process dur-" 2 ing the condensation of they products of conversion from the pressure still, and the combined products are collected. If desired,

the uncondensed gas escaping maybepassed through an absorbing system in which the higher hydrocarbons are absorbed in afsuitabsorbing liquid may subsequently. be 'deprived of the absorbed hydrocarbonsv by 111- troducing it into the pressure still.

Means suitable for carryingout the pres entinvention are illustrated in the acconr The individual pieces of apparatus are 4 illustrated diagrammatically. Referring morejparticularly to Fig. 1, thenumeral' 5 indicates the bulk suppl container of an oil still, communicating y conduits 6 and 7 with the upper and lower tube headers 8 and 9 respectively, between which the. up-

wardly inclined/tubes 10 extend. The tubes- 10 are mounted in furnace'll, the, oil'bei-ngj heated therein. The numeral 12 indicates a gas holder, which receives gasfrom a nat-' denser.

'ofsay 4 to 7 atmosphere is able hydrocarbon liquid, inwhichcase the ural gas field through a conduit 13 and the wet gas produced during the. refining of crude petroleum oil through pipe 14:.

The still is provided with a vapor line 15, preferably arranged'in an upwardly inclined position, and leading to a dephlegmator 16, illustrated as an air cooled tubular con- The vapors from the still which condense in the'vapor line l5 and the dephlegmator 16 return to the still through the former. The lighter vapor products pass 'on through pipe 17 and condenser 18 to the receiver 19, in which the condensed light products are collected and from which they may be withdrawn through discharge pipe 20.

- The operation of the process is best considered in connection with the reduction and refining of crude petroleum. The gas oil or fuel oil distillate produced'in: such. refining 29. Baum,

andhaving a densityfof, say, is'chs'rged into thefpressure stilgQ-and is heated to efi'ect distillation w pressure the s stem. Lighterhydrocar ohs are produde ,"and the vapors issuing from the still "passthrough the vapor system above described." During the:.distillation, wet gas is pumped from gasjholder 12 by ump 21 through distributing pi e 22 into t e vapor phase system ofthe sti l, for example, into the container 5 above the liquid level therein. The gas mixes with the distillation. vapors and its gasoline-like constituents, which are .to a considerable extent so much more volatile than the gasoline of commerce that they are not condensed. at the same temperature, blend with heavier constituents of the vapors and are condensed in the gasoline condenser 18. v I I The uncondensed gas issuing from receiver 19 passes through pi e 23 into the absorber 24, where it is scrub ed with the light gas oil distillate from the crude petroleum, which is supplied to the absorber through the line 25. The unabsorbed gas passes out through pipe 26 to a main or reservoir. The absorber liquid, with its absorbed light hydrocarbons issues through pipe. 27 and is conducted into the vapor system of the still, where the light hydrocarbons are yielded up, passing through the condenser where gasoline yield, while the absorber liquid (i through v the condensable constituents increase the pressure stills, enters through the line terms a teed stock to maintain the propcr level of the stock undergoing distillation in the still.

ln Figs. .2 and 3 arrangements of apparatus are shown in which low pre sure absorbers as well as high pressure absorbers are employed, in Fig. 2 the absorbers being shown arranged in parallel and in Fig. 3 arranged in series.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the gas holder 28 is fed with wet gas from the lield through line 29 and from the refinery through line 30. The wet gas passes from the gas holder 28 through line 31 to the low pressure absorber 32. into which the absorbent liquid, which is the feed stock for the an uh).

The gas, at'ter absorption of its gasoline -constituents, issues from the low pressure absorber 32 through line 34 to the line 35, which conducts it to the dry gas holder 36. The absorbent liquid issuing from the low pressure absorber is pumped through line 37 into the feed line 38 leading to the pressure stills 39. i The distillation gases from the pressure stills 39, each of which is of the same general character as that shown in Figure 1 and is providedwith a dephlegmator, pass through the high pressure line 40 .into the high pressure a bsorber 41, where they are treated by the pressure still feed stock entering through the line 42. The treated gas passes out of the high pressure absorber 41 through the. line 43 leading to the dry gas line 35,. through which it is conducted to the dry gas holder 36. From the dry gas holder suitable mains 44 and 45 conduct the treated gases to the refinery and to the field respectively. g

In the arrangement of apparatus shown in Fig. 3, the low pressure and high pressure absorbers are arranged in series, the feed stock for the pressure stills, which is used as the absorbent liquid, passing successively through the low-pressure absorber and the high pressure absorber. Referring more particularly to this figure, the numerals 46 .and 47 indicate the lines by whichthe' wet gas from the fields and-from the refinery respectively is conducted to thegas holder 48. From thisgas "holder wet gas passes through line 49 into the low pressure absorber 50, in which it is treated bythev pressure still feedstock entering through line 51. The as issuing from the absorber 50 is force through line 52 into the dry gas line 53, which leads it to the dry gas holder 54.

. The absorbent liquid passing out of the low pressu e absorber 50- is forcedthrough line.

55 in o the high pressure absorber 56, in

' which it acts to absorbthegasoline constituents from the gas issuing from the pressure stills 57. The absorbent liquid passes out of the high pressure absorber 56 through line 58. which leads it into the pressure stills.

the vapors under the same pressure;

2. The process of oil distillation for th The distillation gas from the pressure stills passes through line 59 into. the high pressure 1 absorber 56, in which it is'treated as above described. The treated gas passes out.

through line 60 into the dry gas line 5 I which conducts it into the dry gas holder 54. It is readily apparent that batteries ot pressure-stills and associated apparatus may be employed and a uniform pressure control intended that these details shall be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention. as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim: I l. The process of oil distillation tor the p roduction of light hydrocarbon oils which consists in subjecting heavier hydrocarbon oils to distillation under pressure. introducing at a temperature not substantially above atmospheric natural gas containing gasoline constituents into the vapors issuing from tllQf distilling oils, sub]ect1ng the mixed vapors to a partial condensation, returningthe condensate thereof to the distilling oil and con densing the desired light hydrocarbons from production of light hydrocarbon oils which consists in subjecting heavier hydrocarbon oils to distillation under pressure, introducing at a temperature not substantially above atmospheric natural gas containing gasoline constituents into the vapors issuing from the distilling oils, refluxing the mixed vapors' and returning the fractions thereof heavier than the desired light hydrocarbons to the distilling oil and condensing the light hydrocarbons 'from the vapors under the same pressure.

3. The process of oil distillation for the production of light hydrocarbon oils which consists in subjecting heavier hydrocarbon oils to distillation under pressure, condensing the desired light hydrocarbons from the vapors under the same pressure and introducing natural gas containing gasoline constitaentsfinto the vapors issuing from the distilling oils-prior to condensation thereof, said natu'ral gas being at a temperature'not substantially above atmospheric, contacting the uncondens ed vapors and gas with a hydrocarbon oil heavier than the condensed light hydrocarbon oil, thereby absorbing the gasoline constituents from such vapors and gas, and introducing the absorbing li'quid with its absorbed light hydrocarbons into the pressure still.

4. 'Ihe'process of oil distillation tor the production of light hydrocarbon oils which consists in subjecting heavier hydrocarbon oils to distillation in a still under pres sure. introducing natural gas containing wasoline constituents ata temperature not subcarbon oil, thereby absorbing the gasoline stantially above atmospheric into the vapors constituents from such vapor and gas, and from the distilling oils, subjecting the mixed passing the absorbing liquid with its light vapors to a partial condensation, condensing absorbed hydrocarbons together with the the uncondensed vapors under the pressure condensate from said partial condensation of the still, contacting the remaining unconinto contact with the mixed vapors issuing densed vapors and gas with a hydrocarbon from the still and into the pressure still.

oil heavier than the condensed light hydro- FRANK ATHERTON HOWARD. 

